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Introduction: Sitalpati, literally means cool mats are very popular and aesthetic in design. These mats are luxurious in their feel and more expensive than other mats. Sitalpati mats are crafted from the marantra dichotoma or mutra reed. The finest sitalpati is used in Assam to sleep on , as it is cool for summer nights. The patikars (makers or mats) of Goalpara district of Assam make the sitalpati, an extremely fine floor. A relatively new design development has been the use of sitalpati mat Cuttings as an embellishment on bags of all varieties, on Trays, pen stands and other table top items etc.. It is used in plenty as a floor mat and a prayer mat and as a wall hanging. The production of sital pati is a household industry in Assam. Generally, men prepare the cane slips, while women do the weaving work. People mainly from Goalpara district of Assam are involved in this craft. The mat makers mostly belong to the Hindu community. The
villages famous for the production of sital pati in Goalpara district are Dubapara and Paharsingpara cluster. Sitalpati Craft of Goalpara Goalpara is known for its age old Sitalpati industry. The word “Sitalpati” means cold mat. The raw materials required for this traditional craftwork is chiefly procured from natural grass. The barks of the plants are used for knitting the mats. The knitting process is done by bare hands. In other parts of lower Assam the mats are finely knitted and beautifully crafted with the use of fine Patidoi. These are delicately arranged and then designed knitting with hands. The Sitalpati work has been passed down through generations. This ancient craftwork is mainly practiced by the Hindu communitiy of Dubapara and Paharsingpara. Almost all the residents of the village are engaged in making Sitalpati. They produce different designs of mats, tablemats, school bags, partitions, etc. Each family here earn a handsome amount by making Sitalpati. Procedure of making Sitalpati The manufacture of ‘sitalpati’ involves many complicated processes. Sitalpati is made from a marshy reed indigenous named as mohtra reed. Unlike reeds of the ‘khag’ variety, it has no joints/ Like other reeds, it grows on marshy and water logged areas and is found in abundance in choked up tanks and damp hill slopes.
The reeds are washed in soda and dried. Then they are split to clean out the soft stuff inside and sized to make all the pieces in equal width. These pieces are then boiled in water for three to four hours and dried. Colouring of the splits is done by indigenous methods. White (ivory) colour is obtained by boiling the splits in water, wherein other ingredients, such as boiled rice juice, hibiscus safdariffa and tamarind leaves are mixed. For black colour, the splits packed into bundles are wrapped up mango barks and kept under the mud for about 7 days. In order to obtain red colour, the cane splits are boiled in water mixed with ‘mezenta’ (a kind of chemical dye-stuff). After that, they are stiffened with starch (boiled rice water) and dyed if necessary. The splits are then woven in a closed weave and designs are made by using dyed slops. Generally the warp is of one colour and the weft of another. Some times two styles are worked together to produce a number of designs.